He Is My Girl
by Seto's Darkness
Summary: She becomes the dream girl during the day. At night, she becomes the most hated boy. She is… Uzumaki Naruto. .:SasuNaru, AU:.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Warning : **This is my first time writing a Naru_ko_, the female Naruto. So… yeah :) I hope you all don't mind. This is a gender-changing fanfiction, and it's rather… weird; for me at least. This piece of fanfiction contains female!Naruto, slightly bastardized Sasuke (come to think of it, he's almost _always _being mean), mild language, mild violence, **shounen-ai**, **implied yaoi** (nothing naughty though), and healthy dosage of **het**.

**Notes : **The story idea is rather… _weird._ I don't know if this is cliché, since usually, female!Naruto appears in mpreg stories, and this is NOT an mpreg. It's rather based on _Ranma ½_.

* * *

She possesses the hair with the same shine as the golden sun. It reaches up to her slim waist, and according to her friends, acquaintances and admirers, it looks as smooth as silk.

She possesses the eyes with the same appearance as the world's most sparkly and cleanest beaches. The azure-colored orbs glitter enchantingly as she smiles, as she talks, and even as she merely walks.

She possesses the charm with the same class as top actresses, theater performers and ballet dancers. Her friends and _suitors _claim that she's as irresistible as the world's sweetest, sinfully-delicious chocolate.

She possesses the laughter with the same refreshing quality of the soothing summer breeze that mingles with the grass in the lawns. It washes away her friends' problems, and it's a precursor of her genuine happiness and enjoyment.

She possesses the smile with the same sweetness of honey and milk. It stretches her lips daintily upwards, and it makes her all the more beautiful, as it captivates everyone's hearts.

She… she's the perfect girl.

She's Naru_ko_, and she's about to finish her second year in high school. She's looking forward to her summer vacation, for it's time to mingle with her friends and basically enjoy _life_.

She walks casually down the road, after parting ways from her friends. The time on her silver, expensive-looking watch says it's almost seven in the evening. The sky's already painted with that wonderful indigo hue, but to Naru_ko_, it's nothing but a sharp reminder.

Her friends have long stopped trying to walk her to her home. She claims that her parents don't want her to show up with many people, and Naruko smiled winningly at her friends while saying that, and they immediately zoned out and agreed to her words. Her friends have also stopped questioning why she doesn't stay out past seven. She also used her "charms" to stop the inquiries, and her friends nodded and let the subject go.

At this moment though, Naruko hastily spots a dark alleyway. It's not really the cleanest place, but there are not street-thugs nearby that could endanger her. It also provides the best coverage for her… _transformation_.

Her high-heeled leather boots click noisily against the slightly wet pavement. Her knee-length purple skirt swishes gracefully with the early evening wind, fanning around her tanned legs. Her gold-colored asymmetric blouse tightens around some parts of her body as she hastens her walk.

Her cellphone vibrates inside her bag's pocket, the alarm tune ascending in volume, signaling that the nineteenth hour is here. She hugs herself tightly, her knees wobbling dangerously as she grows weak with the transformation. The silky blond hair creeps slowly upward, shortening in length. The make-up on her face disappears, uncovering the scars, whisker-like marks on her cheeks, which she covered earlier this morning with tons of foundation. Her long painted nails shrink towards her fingers, losing its manicure and dulling considerably. Her ample breasts grow smaller, inching to her chest, until the nipples are only raised by a few centimeters. Her hips also shrink, the purple skirt riding dangerously. Her shoulders broaden slightly, but not enough to tighten her blouse. The outfit disappears, and is replaced by a different attire.

The transformation ends, and **his **chest heaves in exertion. Sweat forms on his forehead, and his callused palms touch the grubby wall of the alley **he **found earlier. He doesn't flinch when his hands met dirt and grime, unlike **his **bodies earlier who would squeal and shriek with the narrowest sight of filth. He waits until his breathing evens out completely, and he looks down at his torn-at-the-knees faded jeans. The darkness of the alley doesn't let him see the color of his shirt, but he thinks it's blue, or something near that. He doesn't exactly remember what was he wearing way earlier this morning.

The high-heeled boots are now a pair of muddy white sneakers. He walks slowly, occasionally holding the filthy wall for support. He doesn't like it when he's weak, but he doesn't have a choice. He smiles ruefully, all the grace and charm from Naru_ko_ gone. The smile is now filled with misery and cynicism. The shiny, _cellophaned_ hair is now the short, spiky mop of blonde on top of his head.

He is now **Uzumaki Naruto**. He doesn't possess the heartthrob qualities his counterpart possesses. He's the very unpopular student that quit school before the start of his second year in Konoha High. He's the hated person because of his guts, of his _stupidity_, of his face, of _everything_. He's hated because of his existence, and he doesn't quite understand why.

His father passed away when he was young, and he left in care of his mother. His mother, the ambitious woman named _Kyuubi_ led their town twelve years ago in a rebellion against the government. It created a violent riot, which took away more than a couple of lives, and dumped the city of Konoha into a mess of destruction.

Right now, his mother's rotting away in the top-security prison in Tokyo. He was left alone when he was around three years old. He was passed over to immediate family members, until everybody refused and the agencies passed him to distant relatives. Everybody complained that he's _violent_, brash and definitely not likeable as a child. Everybody said that he caused nothing but trouble and bad luck to each person that took him in.

It arrived at one point when he's left on adoption agencies. Even there, he's _hated_, for something he doesn't know. He has been lucky to be taken under Tsunade's care. Tsunade is an old woman (he calls her Old Hag frequently, much to her displeasure) who always uses make-up to make her look forty years younger. She's a well-known doctor but she retired a long time ago for some unknown reason.

In his recollection of his past, he doesn't notice that his feet already took him towards Tsunade's home. It's nothing much, unlike the fairy-tale-like mansion that Naru_ko_ has. It's just a simple one-story house, with all the necessary places for living. He knocks on the door to signal his arrival, and he opens the door softly.

He walks around the house, after shedding his dirty sneakers. As expected, Tsunade is already seating on the dining table. She glances at him with pity and affection, and he feels another surge of anger at the unfairness of it all. Tsunade _know_s about Naru_ko._ How could she not? She's the one who gave him the potion that cured his loneliness, his being an outcast, even for only half-a-day.

"I'm home," He says softly, resignedly, to his guardian. It doesn't have the glitter of Naruko's enchanting expressions.

"Welcome, _brat_," Tsunade speaks, and it also doesn't have the sophistication Naruko's friends have. Naruto nods solemnly, too tired to argue. Naruko's friends excitedly toured her around the latest mall, and he's dead-tired from the "excursion". He lifts the chopsticks and separates them with a low snap. He's about to dig in to his ramen, but Tsunade's offhanded statement stops him.

"An Uchiha Sasuke called earlier this evening. He says he wants to meet you tomorrow at the Central Mall, ten a.m."

Naruto almost drops his chopsticks to the not-really-clean floor of their small apartment. Uchiha-_friggin_'-Sasuke is asking Naru_ko_ out on a date? He blinks and smothers a laugh. It's every girl's dream to be at least within ten meters of the powerful, wealthy, popular, intelligent and sexy-as-all-hell teenager.

"W-What did you say?" Naruto finds his voice, mindful of the wicked smirk on his guardian's youthful face.

"I agreed, of course. I saw you drooling at the sight of that guy before." Tsunade's voice delivered it casually, but with all the tone of seriousness. This time, Naruto really _dropped_ his chopsticks, and his jaw slackens.

He snaps his jaw shut and opens his mouth to retort, but the denials that poured out mean nothing to the ex-doctor. Naruto's flushed cheeks tell her everything she needs to know.

* * *

There's a person hiding in the shadows, pushing himself away from the wall where he's currently hiding. He followed the blond(e) from her date with her screechy-voiced friends, and he watched with fascination as she transformed into her **male** form at exactly seven in the evening.

He has known her secret. Honestly, he already suspected that something's off with her sudden, coincidental appearance. Naruto just quit school, and a few weeks later, a beautiful female that looks similar to Naruto appears. She named herself cleverly (…not) Naru_ko_, and acted the exact opposite of the hated-blond.

He smirks beneath the cloak of the night's darkness. He's already anticipating his meeting tomorrow with Naru_ko_. It's not like he's going to wait for seven in the evening, since he has already confirmed that Naru_ko _changes back to Naruto at night. No, he isn't going to let her make a "demonstration" of her _transformation_.

He… He's going to ask for Naru_to_ to come back, completely.

* * *

**To Be Continued**

The nineteenth hour is equal to seven in the evening, if you use the twenty-four-hour system. I hope nobody minds that I named his mother _Kyuubi_. Is that even a female's name? –sigh- I have no clue.

I hope you like it, despite the (yet another) short prologue. I'm trying to send the prologues now, since I'm still rather sick –pout- I just thought that if I try to do the other chapters of my other stories, I'll end up writing _super-crap_ –more pouts-

I like the idea of the plot, and I think this one will be only around four or five chapters :P So… please support this piece of fanfiction as well :)

* * *

**Reviews are encouraged :) They make me write more, and at a faster rate XD Other types of encouragements, requests, ideas, challenges, criticisms are also welcome. **

**Flames, on the other hand, and _most_ especially if it's about my pairing of choice are to be ignored.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Warnings: **This is my first time writing a Naru_ko_, the female Naruto. So… yeah :) I hope you all don't mind. This is a gender-changing fanfiction, and it's rather… weird; for me at least. This piece of fanfiction contains female!Naruto, slightly bastardized Sasuke (come to think of it, he's almost _always _being mean), mild language, **shounen-ai**, **implied yaoi** (nothing naughty though), and healthy dosage of **het**.

**Authoresses' Notes:** Sorry for the delay. Announcements and explanations at my profile page :) Thanks to everybody who email-ed, PM'd, IM'd me. Special thanks to: _StarsofYaoi, Wing It, Gonrie_ and _Konoko89_ for giving suggestions, opinions and criticisms on my fics and plot bunnies :D

**Promotions: **Please join the C2 for the OTP in Naruto: SasuNaru and NaruSasu: _SasuNaru Shounen ai and Yaoi Heaven_. Please join _my_ forum for Filipino yaoi-shounen-ai enthusiasts. Links are **on my profile**.

* * *

Seven o'clock in the morning came too quickly for **Uzumaki Naruto**, but it didn't mean that he liked it. After the relentless teasing by his guardian that lasted even as he was washing the dishes, he still had to complete his assignments. Umm, _Naruko's _assignments, to be more specific. It wasn't due until Monday, but he figured that _Naruko _didn't need to be as lazy as him.

Plus, working on the Trigonometry problems helped to chase away a certain someone from his mind. It had been rather successful, Naruto noted, because he only drew chibi-Sasuke (complete with the horns and vampiric canines and the devil's tail) only once. And, he only thought of... he only cursed Sasuke-bastard in his mutterings twenty times.

He didn't even try deciphering the Uchiha's evil intentions for asking him... _Naruko_ out. It was an impossible feat, for **Uchiha Sasuke** had always belonged to some unthinkable, malevolent alien species that would soon bring out the destruction of the world (and its inhabitants' minds). Naruto snickered as he imagined Sasuke standing atop a building, while commanding everybody (using that damned, grown-up voice of his) to bow towards their new king.

His mirth was suddenly halted though, when he felt the pain of transformation gnaw at his insides. Tsunade-baachan already warned him about the painful twists that his internal organs would do to bring about the change, but he had been so depressed, so tired of the cruel looks. At first, he didn't really mind the physical pain, but lately, it had been becoming worse. Maybe it was because he's reconsidering? Pretending that he was _Naruko_, the perfect girl, was becoming more hurtful to himself.

He was starting to loathe his classmates' stupidity, and the fact that they really didn't care about Uzumaki Naruto.

He could feel his hips expanding, making his pajamas feel tighter near his groin. His legs grew more slender, weaker, and he couldn't fathom why people liked such skinny legs. His shoulders shrank in width, and he felt much weaker. He could feel his blond hair grow longer, until it reached his waist. It felt hot and stuffy, but people fawned over the 'smooth as silk' mane that looked suspiciously like the ones in shampoo commercials. He could feel his chest grow, and pretty soon, breasts were added to his physique. He also couldn't quite fathom the guys' perverse glee when they leered at a woman's breasts. To Naruto, they're simply squishy globes of fat that made his top a lot tighter than he would have liked.

The longer nails grew again, and Naruto sighed, because he'd have to add those paints again. Nail polish. And he'd have to choose a nice set of clothes, because he would go out with Sasuke later.

Umm, _Naruko_ would go out with Sasuke later. It has been getting harder to distinguish between the two identities inside his mind's privacy. He's just tired, that's all. It's not like he wanted to go out with that bastardly prick.

The transformation ended, and **Miyazaki Naruko** appeared.

* * *

**He's My Girl**

**Installment Two

* * *

**

The heels clicked noisily against the sidewalk, but Naruko didn't care. In her mind, she doesn't think the passersby, which were openly gawking at her, cared either. She should have listened to the Old Hag, but the Ichiraku ramen take-out that Iruka-sensei delivered was too tempting to let go of. After Tsunade's wonderful job of dolling her up for her "Hot Date", she wolfed down the noodles, resulting in a messed-up masterpiece. She and Tsunade had a bickering match filled with names and blames, and the Old Hag spent another hour on salvaging her appearance.

Iruka-sensei gazed at her fondly then, and wished her luck with her date. She knew that Iruka-sensei didn't approve of Tsunade's potion at first, but it's just that--

"You're late," A bored voice intoned dully, and Naruko found that she already arrived at the Central Mall's entrance. She was lightly panting, and she could feel the pressed-powder clamming near her forehead. Damnitdamnitdamnit.

She forced a cheerful, yet embarassed laugh. "Really? I'm very sorry, Uchiha-san," She managed to say without choking. Sasuke admittedly looked gorgeous today, and he's just wearing a simple, long-sleeved shirt. It was unfair. She had to drink that bloody potion to be accepted and to look dashing, while this arrogant teen didn't have to do anything. It was so unfair.

Black eyes narrowed, and Naruko felt uneasy. Sasuke wasn't famous for his patience, after all.

_Will he murder me because I'm late?_ Naruko wondered. Damn, she knew she shouldn't have come!

"...What's the matter, Uchiha-san?" She asked, surprised at how easy it was to pretend that she was worried. Or maybe it wasn't pretending? Nah, Sasuke has been enemies with her... with Naruto since kindergarten, and they generally made each other's lives as hellish as possible. She couldn't be worried about the other.

For a split-second, Sasuke's eyes seemed red, but it disappeared as soon as it emerged. Naruko felt a chill go down her spine. _He really is a demonic bastard alien_, Naruko thought.

Then, "You were late for forty-five minutes and twenty-nine seconds," Sasuke remarked coolly, and Naruko mentally winced. _He's a really freaky alien, who counts time up to seconds, _Naruko realized with mirth and awe.

"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san..." Naruko automatically said, but she trailed off as Sasuke's eyes acquired that _strange_ glint. It looked like how Iruka-sensei's eyes would look once Kakashi-pervert-sensei's name was mentioned. It was like...

"I thought something happened to you," The Uchiha said tightly, in a voice that sounded so small, so worried, before reaching out to grip her elbow in a strong hold.

Naruko allowed herself to be steered towards the mall's entrance, still too shocked with Sasuke's softly-spoken words.

* * *

"You look fat in that dress."

"WHAT!"

"It emphasizes your stomach and shoulders... which are not skinny, by the way..."

"Take that back, you rooster-hair!"

* * *

"Isn't that Hyuuga Neji, one of your suitors?"

"It is Neji. And he's not my suitor."

"Oh? 'Neji', huh?"

"...What?"

"I didn't realize that you're on a first-name-basis with Hyuuga."

"...So what?"

"We're on a date. You should call me by my first name too, or I'll feel hurt."

"As if. Fine, I'll call you 'Sasuke'. Only if you call me by my first name too."

"That's good. Now that that's settled, let's go, Naruto."

"...Okay..."

"..."

"...It's Naru_ko_!"

* * *

"You eat like a pig, Naruto."

"Hey! That's not true!"

"...Oh?"

"...And it's Naru_ko_, damn it. At least get my name right if you're going to be an insufferable prick."

"You still eat like a pig."

"I do _not_! And I happen to like ramen!"

"...It doesn't have nutrients."

"Like I care! I _love_ ramen!"

"Hn. So that's why your brain has so little nutrients..."

"Shut up, bloody bastard!"

* * *

It was really strange.

They did nothing but bicker, and it was very different from the words of admiration and worship that her 'followers' spouted. It was very different, but Naruko found that she liked it better. Much better.

And Sasuke seemed to be having fun now. Since Naruko appeared, the young Uchiha seemed to have developed his meanness skills, and managed to coldly offend most of his classmates. Not that it deterred his fanclub from drooling at his sight. Now though, it seemed that Sasuke was regaining his enthusiasm with bickering, much like how it went with Naruto before. Naruto may have been hated by everybody, but his trash-talk with Sasuke was fun.

Naruko found out that she missed the bickering, the quarrels, the name-calling, the insults. She missed Sasuke. Which was really strange. Maybe it's a side-effect of the potion Tsunade made?

"Action movie, okay?" Sasuke lightly asked, just before he bought their tickets. Naruko managed an enthusiastic nod. Her outings with her friends usually consisted with trips to the salons, boutiques and spas. And her friends adored chick flicks. This date was a good change. She wondered how Sasuke knew that she'd agree with an action movie. He couldn't have known about her true identity. He couldn't.

He just couldn't.

"Let's go, Naruto," Sasuke said, gripping her elbow tightly again. She frowned at the rough-handling, but she noted that Sasuke also bought a huge popcorn. Barbeque flavor. Naruto's favorite.

"...It's Naru_ko_!"

* * *

She couldn't remember what the movie was about. There were lots of explosions, and each burst of flames colored Sasuke's pale cheeks pink, making it seem that he was blushing. Which was impossible, really. Even when she existed as Naruto, she had already established that Sasuke's an emotionless Ice Prince. Emotionless, most of the time, though he could also show cold anger and blatant sadism.

Nope, Ice Princes don't blush, no matter how pretty they looked that way.

She remembered brushing her fingers a couple of times with Sasuke's, as she stuffed the popcorn into her mouth. She knew that Tsunade would have a cow if she found out that she smeared her lipstick, but hey, the popcorn's good. And Sasuke didn't seem to mind. Which was weird. Didn't guys like dainty, demure girls?

Sasuke was very, very weird.

But then again...

Did it make him weird, for liking such a weird person?

* * *

She managed to control herself from wolfing down the entirety of the ramen that was placed in front of her. It was very, very strange. Sasuke seemed to know the things that she wanted. Even though those things were not the ones she proclaimed she liked.

It's as if Sasuke knew _her... Naruto_.

Which is ridiculous. Right?

They proceeded from Ichiraku to the nearby carnival-like place. Lots of couples swarmed the area, and Naruko wrinkled her nose. She never liked public displays of affection. The sour look on Sasuke's face told her that her date also disliked such displays. But then, the carnival would leave tomorrow, and this is her chance to explore this area.

She tugged gently at the hand holding her possessively, and steered Sasuke towards the stuff-toy stands. She didn't really like stuffed toys, but she figured that she should act like a girl, damn it. So that Sasuke wouldn't be suspicious. An elegant eyebrow rose at her choice of booth, but Sasuke didn't say anything.

It was around six p.m. already, and Naruko couldn't believe that she managed to go out with a person, for an entire day, and have fun. And it's Uchiha Sasuke. Most sought-after guy. Naruto's rival. And they managed to not drive each other insane. Naruko felt like jumping for joy, squealing like a girl, or submitting her head for a medical/psychiatric examination.

It took Sasuke only three minutes to win the most expensive prize in the booth. Naruko wondered if Sasuke practiced shooting before. It would certainly help with his alien-world-domination plots.

Naruko wanted to scoff and challenge the bastard to a competition, but she remembered that Naruko was supposed to cuddle the stuff-toy and squee her glee and admire Sasuke's skill.

"Here," Sasuke said dispassionately, handing the prize-toy to her. The shop owner still looked disbelieving at Sasuke's ease of winning the thing.

Naruko was about to gush about the cuteness of the toy, when, she recognized what it was.

A gold-and-orange fox.

The color blending was harmonious, and the fox's tails curled around the plushie magnificently. Something surged inside Naruko's chest--a feeling of warmth. Then, the warm feeling was replaced with a horror.

She remembered Naruto's classmates' jibes, about him looking like a fox.

Did Sasuke know?

Why... why then?

Why wasn't he mocking her?

Her hands shook, as they hang at her sides; the fox-toy was still clutched within her perfectly-manicured nails.

"...Why did you ask me out, Sasuke?" She asked, keeping her voice fiercely low. The shop-owner (and some of the passersby) pretended to not be eavesdropping at the unfolding teenage drama. Some of the crowd went to the same school as the duo.

Sasuke's eyes glittered, like stars soaked in the encompassing night. His voice was also low, but it was still filled with emotion. So much for the emotionless Ice Prince. "...It's because I like Naruto."

Nobody in the crowd heard the name. Even if they did, it sounded like Naru_ko_, anyway.

But Naruko knew. She knew. She heard. She heard Sasuke perfectly.

She gritted her teeth, knowing that it was such an un-feminine act to do. "I hate you, you bastard," She said, her voice sounding cracked and terrifyingly like Naruto's.

Without another word, she turned on her heels and ran, away from Sasuke.

Away from the only person she thought she could love.

* * *

**To Be Continued**

Anyhow, I was _finally _able to convince my mom (and more importantly, my doctor) to let me use my laptop even though I'm in the friggin' hospital :D The confusion-switching between 'him' and 'her' were intended. I wanted to portray that Naru_ko_ and Naru_to_ are not really different, even though Naruto was trying hard to separate the two of them.

Erm... Yeah XD;;;

Thank you, everyone, for your support:)

**Please review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: NARUTO © Masashi Kishimoto.  
**Word Count**: 1953 words  
**Chapters**: 3/6  
**Warning**: Female!Naruto, slightly-bastardized Sasuke?, mild language, shounen-ai, het, **AU**.  
**A/N**: Full list of warnings, blather and notes in the first chapter (: This chapter was finished more than six months ago. I kind of forgot to post it? D:

I hope you enjoy! And please let me know what you think! :D

•

"I don't want to see you again."

That's what Miyazaki Naruko quietly said to one Uchiha Sasuke the following day, with the two of them inside the student council room, safe from the prying eyes and eavesdropping ears of their schoolmates.

Sasuke's eyebrow quirked upwards; the voice that came out of his lips was cool and confident, unlike the tone he usually favored when he was bickering with Naruto before. He seemed to have frozen cold again, back to his untouchable façade, too different from the more-amiable-than-usual Sasuke from yesterday. "You didn't have fun yesterday?"

_She_ knew that this would have to stop. Whatever 'this' pertained to, it had to stop now, before it got too complicated. Sasuke apparently knew Naruto too well. And _she_ knew that anything that would link Miyazaki Naruko to Uzumaki Naruto must be severed. Even if it was Sasuke—_especially_ because it's Sasuke.

"No. Yesterday was great. You were great company, Uchiha-kun." She forced the polite tone, the sweet smile, the demure pose. Her heart rattled against her ribcage, but she willed her nervousness to disappear beneath her thick make-up. Sasuke is important to her—_to him_. That's why—that's why she couldn't deceive him any more. But she also loved herself, and she couldn't let go of this charade she's doing. This is the only way out—to keep from further mixing up Sasuke in her lies, to keep from further hurting herself by staying close to the one person who saw the real Naruto.

"It's that…" She continued, since Sasuke simply gazed at her impassively and waited for her next words, "I already have someone I like."

The temperature in the room felt much colder than before. Sasuke's hands didn't even shake, his lips didn't twitch, and even his face didn't shift its expression. She was torn, between wanting Sasuke to protest against her request, and wanting Sasuke to accept her words without any objections.

"I see," Sasuke remarked after a pause that felt like forever to the already-fidgeting Naruko. "So I take it that means we can't go out on dates anymore?"

It took all of her willpower to squash the blush that threatened to take over her face at those words. Even when Miyazaki Naruto didn't exist yet, Naruto has always found Sasuke intriguing, alluring. Those feelings didn't change now, but _he_ has changed. He is now a girl, a popular girl. He can't keep on dragging his past feelings, or else, his perfect world will collapse all around him.

"Sasuke-kun," Naruko steeled her nerves, "It means I _really _don't want to see you again."

•••

**He's My Girl  
_Installment Three_**

•••

"It feels like somebody went inside the house," Tsunade commented slowly, before she crouched down beside the coffee table and inspected the rug beneath it.

Naruko dropped her books along with a surprised gasp—and that gasp morphed into a howl of pain as one of the heavier books squashed her toes. "What the hell, old hag?!"

She groaned at her bad luck and limped towards the living room couches. A quick glance to the clock told her that there's still an hour before she can transform back to Naruto.

"Some of the things have been moved," The older woman told her crossly, "but everything looks _too _normal."

"Doesn't that mean that nobody went inside the house?"

Tsunade smacked her on the head and ignored her indignant yelps of 'child abuse'. "It's too normal. The person or people who went inside must be professionals."

"It's not like they can steal something of value from a bitter old hag—"

Another smack.

"If someone steals the potion's formula, who knows what trouble we'd end up in."

The amusement that Naruko originally felt towards Tsunade's paranoia disappeared quickly. She hadn't thought about that. What if some mafia members learned about Tsunade's research after her retirement? They'd probably take the formula away from them, forcefully. They'd be lucky if they can survive an encounter like that.

"Ehehe, I haven't thought about that," Naruko rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Just… be careful, okay?" Tsunade's expression rarely looked that soft and gentle.

Naruko found herself nodding, even as she thought about Sasuke and his suspicions.

•

'I don't want to see you again' became rather difficult to fulfill, since the two of them attended the same school and had a lot of same classes.

Despite that, Naruko did her best to resist craning her neck to follow Sasuke when they passed each other in the hallway. She did her best to not look up whenever her friends tittered at the sight of Sasuke entering the cafeteria. She avoided the staff rooms and the library and other places that Sasuke frequented.

Naruko listened to her friends plan various activities for the summer vacation and she commented and laughed on the appropriate intervals. If anybody noticed her lack of cheerfulness that day, nobody commented on it. Naruko found herself wishing that they paid more attention to her, looked more closely to her moods. At the same time, Naruko found herself grateful for her friends' lack of insight, since it meant that there'd be no questions to evade answering.

To be honest, she actually sort-of expected Sasuke to try stalking her. Well, not really stalk—more like, she didn't expect Sasuke to concede defeat that easily. Or maybe, Sasuke wasn't really serious about her? Maybe, Sasuke just saw her as a pastime, or maybe even a dare, or a joke. But since it was her who ended _things_ (well, that sounded a bit _strange_, because they're not really going out together, not like that) she can't go up to Sasuke and demand things from him.

"—Sasuke-kun's game!"

She was so busy with her thoughts so the sudden mention of Sasuke's name into her friends' conversation startled her.

"…Game?" She asked slowly, sweetly.

"Naruko, you dummy! Were you even listening?"  
"Were you daydreaming just now?"  
"Ooh, who were thinking about? Tell us, tell us!"

She flashed them with a brilliant smile and waved their questions away. "What game are you talking about?"

Her friends pouted at her, but they were apparently too excited about that game to keep it a secret from her. "Sasuke-kun's playing as a substitute in the basketball game later!"

"We're going to watch!"  
"Obviously! I'm skipping calculus for that—"  
"Ehhhh, then it's good that I don't have class at that time~"  
"I asked a friend to save seats for us—you're coming right, Naruko?"

She blinked, before she smiled again. "I… can't."

"Ehhhh, why not…?"

"Sasuke-kun's really _hot_ when he's playing sports…!"

Naruko wouldn't use the word hot, but she understood what her friends were saying.

But there's no point of going there and cheering for Sasuke, not when she already severed all of their ties. She would continue existing, with her friends, until the end of this high school. And then, maybe she can try to let her dreams of a perfect, popular life go, and then maybe she can convince Tsunade to move to some far-off place, where nobody who knew Naruto or Naruko existed.

"I have some make-up tests to do," She lied easily, hoping fervently that nobody would ask any questions.

When they continued whining and pouting but didn't really push the issue, Naruko heaved an internal sigh of relief.

'I don't want to see you again' is getting more and more difficult to fulfill.

•

Naruko whistled in appreciation as she passed by amazingly-empty classrooms. Her heels clacked noisily against the floor; the sound felt much louder than it should be. She can hear the distant cheers of the entire school who apparently ditched their classes just to watch the popular 'Sasuke-kun' play basketball.

She shook her head, golden locks tickling her cheeks, her neck, at the motion. To help ease the guilt she felt at lying to her friends, she decided that she'd go to the staff lounge to ask the teachers for some extra-credit work. Or maybe pay a visit to the library, since her reason to avoid the place wouldn't be there anyway.

In the midst of deciding which place to go to first, she suddenly felt an overwhelming pain in her chest, then her stomach, then her legs. She made a pained moan when she felt her knees buckling and giving out from beneath her.

"Ow, ow, ow," She muttered as she gingerly massaged her backside. The pain from landing gracelessly on the floor was shadowed by the pain that insistently throbbed from her chest. The pain was similar to the pain he routinely felt from the transformation process, but why would that happen now? He drank the potion this morning and Tsunade even made sure of the correct dosage! There was no way she'd suddenly return to being Naruto right now, right?!

She bit her lip so she could prevent herself from loudly cursing. What would they think if they saw her at this state?

"They can't see this," She grumbled as she stood up with wobbly legs. She used the wall as a guide as she dragged her body to the nearest bathroom. She needed a mirror to see if anything changed. And she needed to lock herself inside a stall if anything happened.

"I can't be this pessimistic," She complained to herself, her spirit lifted at the sight of the ladies' bathroom. She twisted the knob open, hobbled inside, and promptly locked the door after. She mentally thanked Sasuke for his popularity that dragged every female out of the academic building.

She felt sweat pooling on her temples, dripping to her foundation-covered cheeks. The sweat made her long hair cling to her skin unpleasantly. She breathed heavily, before she leaned her forehead against the bathroom mirror. Her hands gripped the sink's edges tightly. Her fingers trembled from the effort, and she felt her knees collapse for the second time.

Then, just as suddenly as the pain appeared, it was gone.

She touched the back of her neck with a growing sense of horror.

Apparently, even her hair was gone. She did her best to steady her feet. Once she was sure she wouldn't land on the floor again, she stood up, and let out a scream that thankfully nobody was able to hear.

She—

He transformed to Naruto.

"_Fuck_," He swore and stared at the girl's uniform that clung to his sweaty body. Cross-dressing has never appealed to Naruto before, but now, it only cemented his belief that men looked ridiculous wearing women's clothing.

"Don't panic, don't panic," He chanted to himself. A wave of dread washed over him when he heard an explosion of cheering. Is the game finished? How long did the transformation take?! It usually only took 30 minutes, though with this strange circumstances, Naruto wouldn't be surprised if it took longer than usual, just to fuck up his situation some more.

Think, Naruto, think. Which is worse—caught inside a locked girl's bathroom or caught outside school premises?

"I'd rather not be caught at all," He decided stubbornly. He congratulated himself when he found his cellphone in his pocket. After he sent a desperate text message to Tsunade detailing his circumstances, he splashed some water on his face and started running the hell away from school.

Well, he was supposed to run the hell away from this place—

But as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, he stopped, frozen cold, when he heard foreboding footsteps resounding nearby.

•

**To Be Continued**

Super-short chapter, but that's to arrange the flow and divide the following scenes nicely. This will end on chapter six. I do update first (and more often) on my livejournal lately, so if you have time, please check it out as well! My LJ link is on my profile :)

I was writing chapter 4 when I saw that this wasn't posted yet, so the next update shouldn't take long. Comments are always appreciated! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: NARUTO © Masashi Kishimoto.**  
Word Count**: 2133 words**  
Chapters**: 4/6 (two more to go!)**  
Content**: Female!Naruto, slightly-bastardized Sasuke?, mild language, shounen-ai, het, **AU**.**  
A/N**: Full list of warnings, blather and notes in the first chapter (:

I hope you enjoy! And please let me know what you think! :D

•

She—

_He_ transformed to Naruto.

"_Fuck_," he swore and stared at the girl's uniform that clung to his sweaty body. Cross-dressing has never appealed to Naruto before, but now, it only cemented his belief that men looked beyond ridiculous wearing women's clothing.

"Don't panic, don't panic," he chanted to himself. A wave of dread washed over him when he heard an explosion of cheering. Is the game finished? How long did the transformation take? It usually only took 30 minutes, though with this strange circumstances, Naruto wouldn't be surprised if it took longer than usual, just to fuck up his situation some more.

Think, Naruto, think. Which is worse—caught inside a locked girl's bathroom or caught outside school premises?

"I'd rather not be caught at all," he decided stubbornly. He mentally congratulated himself when he found his cellphone in his pocket. After he sent a desperate text message to Tsunade detailing his circumstances, he splashed some water on his face and started running the hell away from school.

Well, he was supposed to run the hell away from this place—

But as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, he stopped, frozen cold, when he heard foreboding footsteps resounding nearby.

His mind was already tumbling around various excuses he could cough up to anyone who might recognize him, who might ask questions, who might send him to the authorities for being a pervert lurking around in a schoolgirl's uniform. But before Naruto could even exhaust his mind with concocting excuses, he let out a mental sigh of relief when he saw the unfamiliar uniform of the person making her way to the bathroom.

Someone from another school, possibly from their opponent school, equally possibly from a different school who went here to just to see the game. But the reasons for the stranger to lurk around didn't really matter to Naruto, who was only too relieved to know that the stranger wouldn't recognize him at all.

Nevertheless, Naruto kept his head down and his footsteps brisk as he passed by the stranger as he made his way to the school entrance. Tsunade texted him back, a brief message that ordered him to wait for her in the entrance so she could bring him back home without much fuss.

The hallways remained blissfully empty, with everyone including the staff enamored with watching Uchiha Sasuke show off his athleticism in front of his adoring crowd. The thought only made Naruto's footsteps harsher, faster, and that was his mistake.

Thinking about Sasuke has always brought him trouble, and this time, his mind wasn't even prepared to see anybody else, his body wasn't prepared to bump into anybody else.

But he did bump to somebody when he made a turn towards the locker areas.

He had been lucky the first time, but now Naruto's luck had run out.

Because of all the people to see him in that state, it had to be the upperclassman, Hyuuga Neji.

•••

**He's My Girl**_  
Installment Four_

•••

Naruto forcefully thunked his head against the taxi window, not more than twenty minutes after his unfortunate bodily collision with one Hyuuga Neji. Tsunade was smart enough to bring a hoodie jacket to conceal Naruto's definitely not-girly face, but Naruto had to hold back his complaints and explanations until the two of them reached home, since his voice was decidedly manly enough to be jarring when coupled with his outfit.

As expected from an upperclassman with the best grades in the entire school, Hyuuga Neji immediately understood the situation and moved in swiftly to take advantage of it. Naruto gritted his teeth when he recalled the way Neji's eyes stared at him silently, as though assessing him, judging him.

_"It's a small sacrifice, don't you agree?" Neji asked snottily—face carved in a stony expression that Naruto so despised, words delivered in an aristocratic manner that Naruto so loathed—but Naruto didn't have a choice, not at all. If he wanted to keep the secret regarding Naru__**k**__o, he needed to do whatever Neji asked him to._

But there was still some bit of justice in the world, for Hyuuga Neji wasn't a _complete_ bastard. He offered to keep his mouth shut and to forget their encounter ever happened, and the condition wasn't so bad. Or rather, the condition is rather weird in a sense that Naruto didn't know if Neji actually understood the idea of blackmailing.

After all, Neji's condition for his silence was for Naruto to bring his cousin Hinata out on a date.

That was fine.

Actually, that was more than fine.

Hinata struck him as a shy, but kind girl; Naruto would always welcome any potential friend that wasn't as cruel as the classmates he spent his years with.

The deal was actually too good to be true, which was why Naruto kept on thinking whether he misunderstood Neji's proposal or if Neji was deliberately misleading him. But while Neji was a very haughty and arrogant asshole, he didn't strike Naruto as someone who could be _that_ vicious to someone he doesn't really have anything to do with.

The taxi pulled over in front of their apartment, and Naruto made his way back home, with Tsunade supporting him by his elbow.

Shenanigans with Neji aside, the most important thing Naruto needed to do is to figure out what went wrong with his transformation.

•

"Someone probably switched the potion with something. Or maybe they tampered with it?"

Naruto was on his knees, crouched in front of different furniture to see whether they could find clues—fingerprints, dirt, _anything_—regarding the identity of the person behind the break-in to their house. Tsunade was mumbling around and checking the potion's files and running around her laboratory; the least Naruto could do for his guardian is to manage to find something to shed light to this case. He needed to prepare a letter and an excuse for Naruko not being at school for the next few days, too. There will be an upcoming long weekend, so Naruto hoped that they could solve this before the break ended.

"But who would have known about the potion?"

"I didn't finish that potion while I was…" Tsunade trailed off, looking as though she has swallowed something nasty.

"You got an idea?"

Tsunade gave a murmuring assent, eyes narrowed in concentration. "…I think I know _who_ tampered with the potion."

•

Naruto spent the next couple of days without transforming—it's not like there were classes and the Old Hag needed to gather ingredients for the next batch of potions. Naruto decided that since it's better to just get things over with, he should do his part of his deal with Neji. Then maybe he can spend the remainder of his mini-vacation… _observing_ Sasuke's movements.

Naruto gave a call to the number Neji sent him the other day. The formal greeting ("Hyuuga Residences, good morning" sounded like it's from an office) startled him. He managed to get Hinata's name out, followed by his real name when the person cautiously asked about his identity.

"Uzumaki," the voice on the other line answered after a minute.

Naruto frowned at the decidedly male voice. "You're not Hinata."

"This is Neji." He sounded as though he wanted to add 'duh' or 'no shit' to Naruto's very astute observation. But Neji held back on any insults. Naruto wondered, not for the first time, if this was a trap; there was just no way that something as juicy as Naruto lurking around as a girl (and as the popular _Miyazaki Naruko_, no less) was only equivalent to taking someone out on a date of-sorts.

"You can meet up with Hinata-sama in front of the WM restaurant—you do know where that is, don't you?—I've made reservations already."

"Whoa, I didn't know you're very overprotective over Hinata," Naruto ignored the jab about his lack of knowledge about popular restaurants; it's not like it's his fault that he's content with Ichiraku Ramen for every single meal, "next you're gonna tell me that you'll tail us for the rest of our date."

There's an uncomfortable silence from the other end. Naruto sighed.

"…I'll see you guys there."

"If I ever see you making untoward moves toward Hinata-sama—"

"Yes, yes, I'll be good. See you there, cousin-complex."

•

"I couldn't believe it," Hinata murmured, eyes shiny with what seemed like unshed tears, "w-w-when Neji-niisan told me you were back, I… I couldn't believe it. But you're _here_. You're back for r-r-real, Naruto-kun? Are you…?"

Naruto rubbed his neck, all the while averting his eyes from Hinata's. He dearly hoped that Neji wouldn't pick this moment to spy on them from whichever spot he picked—Naruto didn't even want to imagine Neji's reaction to Hinata's expression. He also hoped against hope that Hinata wouldn't push the matter further. He wasn't prepared with a lie to feed her questions; he wasn't prepared to tell her that he never wanted to return to school, to everyone who loathed him.

What was he thinking? That he could just meet Hinata today and disappear—for forever this time? That he could just recover what he lost, what he willingly traded for a life away from scathing words, that he could just be Naruto again without anybody questioning him?

"Hinata, I need to tell you something—"

He wasn't sure if he could trust Hinata, but she was the sweetest girl he knew, the sweetest person he knew, and maybe she would understand when he told him that he'd never see her again. But as Naruto was gathering his words to perform coherent sentences, he didn't notice that someone more dangerous than Neji entered the fancy restaurant they're at.

But Hinata noticed, because they all belonged to the same school, attended the same classes. Hinata noticed, and today, on the day that Hinata resolved to be more confident and more straightforward because she was meeting a person that she admired for his honesty and cheerfulness—today, Hinata waved to that dangerous person.

And when Naruto looked up, he saw Hinata's eyes that were clear and devoid of unshed tears, eyes that were instead acknowledging and welcoming someone that stood behind Naruto.

Naruto knew who the person was even before he turned around, even before the person spoke up.

"G-Good day, Uchiha-san, Sasuke-san."

Two people.

Naruto knew that he would have to acknowledge their presence. Social graces dictated those things. Naruto wanted to just run away from this place. Naruto wanted to just return to his home. Naruto wanted to just be Naruko again because everybody loved her, even if she wasn't real.

"Yo, Sasuke… Itachi."

The few times he had crossed paths with Uchiha Itachi, Naruto had always felt an oppressive atmosphere. Today was no different; Itachi still possessed that disinterested look that just screamed 'untrustworthy person' to Naruto. But it was Sasuke's equally disinterested look that caused Naruto's heart to do somersaults. Sasuke's expression mirrored Itachi's well. Too well. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

Itachi exchanged some superficial pleasantries with Hinata—weaving connections between one heir to another—the words escaped Naruto's mind. He was too busy staring at Sasuke; Sasuke was too busy not staring back. Naruto bit his lip; tempted to explain, but there was nothing to explain. This was his choice, just like it was his choice to leave school then, just like it was his choice to join society again as someone born from a figment of imagination. It was his choice—it may not be the best or most courageous, but it was his choice nevertheless.

"…please excuse us then, Hyuuga-san. Sasuke, let's go."

Naruto saw Itachi's hand on Sasuke's elbow; Naruto saw that Sasuke didn't shrug that hand off. And why would he? He may loathe physical contact from his peers, but it was surely different for his brother.

…There used to be a time when he could also grab that elbow, when he could hold on to a pale shoulder, when he could punch the Itachi-like expression off his face, but it was a time from the past. There was no use lamenting the loss of their strange rivalry.

"Is s-something wrong, Naruto-kun?"

—Hinata.

Hinata was here with him, and he promised Neji he would give Hinata a day with him. He promised Neji, even if it was under the threat of blackmail, that he would make sure Hinata was smiling today. Hinata liked him, he realized now. Hinata liked him, even if nobody did. Hinata liked him, even if he didn't return her feelings. Hinata liked him, even if he was never going to return.

Hinata liked him.

—even if Sasuke didn't.

"Sorry, I was just thinking of where we can go next."

Hinata liked him.

—even if Uzumaki Naruto was a liar.

•  
**To Be Continued**

I find it very hard to write in the past tense nowadays—it's the major thing to blame for the lateness of this chapter. I had to rewrite it so many times LOL

Two more chapters to go! Next chapter is what you can call 'Sasuke's chapter'. It will be completely from Sasuke's point-of-view, detailing the events of the past (his past rivalry with Naruto, their time together at school, and how he felt when he realized that Naruto quit school).

**Next Chapter**: _Installment Five_

There was nobody that Uchiha Sasuke hated more than Miyazaki Naruko—because she was the one who stole Naruto away from him.

"I stole the potion," the figure on the doorway said, interrupting Sasuke's thoughts, "that's what you wanted, right?"


End file.
